The King's Sceptre
by Sanded Silk
Summary: Neji, king-to-be of Konoha, has his future position on the throne secured tightly. Or so he thinks. NejiSaku
1. Chapter 1

Another NejiSaku thingamagig. :D

This one is based off this Tintin book/comic/whatever I read. Tintin saves the position of a king in Syldavia. This story is kinda like that, except Sakura is Tintin and Neji is the Prince, and they are the same age... :P

**Disclaimer: Based off of The Adventures of Tintin: King Ottakar's Sceptre. Don't own any characters. :-/**

--Sanded Silk-- 

* * *

Neji yawned, and checked his calendar. According to the beautifully-designed booklet on the wall of his study- as well as the calendars in all the other rooms- his official coronation was in four days. His father had died a few weeks ago, and since Konoha was at war, the nation needed the strongest, youngest, and the most clever ruler as soon as possible. Hinata was a likely candidate, because she was from the main family. But, her meek personality and lack of aggression threw the court and the majority of Konoha politicians on Neji's side. 

Neji stood up, stretched momentarily, and walked down the hallway to the crown room. The two guards protecting the room saluted as he entered. In the center of the elegant room, in a glass case on a high wooden stand, were two precious items for the coronation: the crown, and the sceptre that would gain Neji his title. Without the sceptre, he would either have to kill his cousin to gain the title as king, or he would have to abdicate.

Sighing, Neji walked over the the large, iron-barred windows to gaze outside into the dark courtyard. He could vaguely make out he shapes of the guards in the courtyard. Satisfied that the room was sufficiently secure, Neji left.

Neji undid the buttons and clapses of his coat, and changed into his night clothes. He blew out the candle by his bed, and climbed slowly into his bed, yawning again. He lay there, on his back, staring at the cieling and thinking.

In four days, his life would take a huge turn. In four days, he would be the commander-in-chief of the military; he would be able to change all those stupid laws his father had set up; he could hire a different royal doctor, as the present one failed his job of keeping the king alive.

Basically, Neji would have complete power over this nation.

Smirking and turning over onto his side, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

--The next day--

Neji was in his study again the next day, after he ate breakfast and changed. He was reading the diary of his great-great-grandfather during a huge war against Suna, when there was a soft knock at the door.

Without looking up, Neji opened his mouth and called "Come in."

The door squeaked open, and booted feet marched into the room. He could practically hear the sentry-man salute.

"Your Majesty," The sentry-man barked, "There is a professor from Suna who wishes to visit the palace in two days to study the history of Konoha, as well as the coronation system. He also wants to take pictures of the crown and sceptre. He goes by the name Professor Anatsuko."

"No."

"He is very insistent, your Majesty. He says he won't stop demanding permission until we give it to him."

Neji sighed, his eyes not lifting from the text before him. "Fine," Neji said. "But because the relationship between Suna and Konoha has been very...intense, so to speak, this professor must be extremely well-guarded at all times. No one is to let him out of sight."

"He is only an old man, your Majesty."

"..."

The sentry-man saluted hurriedly again. "Y-Yes sir! I will put the orders through immediately, sir!"

The man scurried out of the room, trying to look as unshaken as possible. Neji smirked to himself, before turning his attention back to the book before him.

The next day, after meeting with the professor, Neji was in his courtyard, sipping tea and reading, when his chauffeur walked up and saluted. "Your Majesty," He said, "The meeting concerning all preparations needed for the coronation ceremony will be held soon, in the Royal Congressional Building."

Neji sighed and stood up, putting down his now-cold cup of tea and his book. Wordlessly, he followed the black-suited man out of the Palace doors into his car.

The chauffeur geared the engine and pressed the gas pedal with his foot. Almost immediately, a girl appeared in front of the car. The girl had striking pink hair that brushed her shoulders and emerald eyes, which were wide when she saw that the car was headed for her. She didn't have enough time to react. Neji felt the impact through the hard plastic of the interior of the car, and the girl's head disappeared from view.

Neji loudly cursed, and the driver flinched. Without wasting a moment, the agile king-to-be jumped out of his car and hurried to the over-turned girl with the exotic pink hair on the asphalt. He leaned down, grasped onto the girl's slim shoulders, and gently lifted her up onto her feet, setting her down gently. When he was sure she could stand on her own, he let go.

"Are you all right? Do you need to lay down somewhere?"

The girl slowly blinked her eyes, staring at Neji. "You," She said, her voice silky and awed. "The Prince of Konoha."

Neji inclined his head, staring down at the one-head-shorter girl with emotionless eyes. "Yes," He said calmly. "Prince Hyuuga Neji. The next king."

The girl didn't start squealing and asking him to marry her. In fact, her eyes were wide and solemn, and her expression was serious. "Sir, I have something terribly important to talk to you about."

Neji cocked an eyebrow. So this peasant girl wanted to talk to him? Just before he answered her, his chauffeur stumbled out of the car and drew his gun. "Stand back, sir!" He cried dramatically. "This young woman tried to-"

The girl suddenly darted out, slamming her heel into the chauffeur's jaw. He squeaked in a very unmanly manner, and fell over.

Neji pulled out his own gun and aimed it at the girl. She stood up straight, her hands in the air. "Sir, please hear me out!" Now, there was panic and helplessness in her eyes. "I heard people discussing a plot to overthrow you in my home country, and took an airplane here as soon as possible to warn you! That chauffeur was a part of the group. Last night, when I came to see you, he refused to let me in when I told him why I wanted to see you!"

Neji turned his narrowed eyes to his feebly-stirring chauffeur. "Is this true?"

The chauffeur's eyes immediately overflowed with fear. "N-No, sir! Don't trust that foreign dog! I-"

"You will return to the Palace at once and await my orders." Neji calmly spoke, his eyes and face still emotionless. He lowered his gun, and instead pointed it at the chauffeur, who immediately scrambled to his feet and called a taxi.

Neji put his gun away, and got into the car's driver seat. He motioned for the mysterious girl to sit in the passenger's seat. She obeyed, looking intensely relieved.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry that I haven't been updating for so long! I was in New York City for five days, and I had a lot of homework before that, and... --rants-- 

ANYWAY. I had to cut this one off, because I didn't want it to go too long. The next chappie will come up soon, I promise!!

--Sanded Silk-- 


	2. Chapter 2

The second chapter of this story/ El capítulo segundo de esta novela/ Le deuxième chapitre de ce roman/ 这本小说的第二个章节/ ...jambo? o.O

Hmm. Need to learn more languages. --feels unwillingly anti-social--

ANYWAY. I received a story alert notice. **JUST** A _STORY ALERT_ NOTICE**. _NO REVIEWSSS? Argh, what is WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?_**

...Anyway. Please read, and **_REVIEWWW!_**

**Disclaimer: This story is based off of King Ottakar's Sceptre, with Naruto characters replacing the original Tintin characters. Everything else is mine. Also, the evil professor is also mine. I was wondering who to cast as the professor, but I couldn't think of any adult in Naruto nerdy enough to be fit for this character, sooo... --rants--**

--Sanded Silk-- ♥

* * *

"So," Neji said, as he drove with his hands clamped tightly on the steering wheel and his mouth set in a straight line. "Tell me everything you know so far."

"Well." The girl began. "First, let me introduce myself. My name is Haruno Sakura, from Suna." Neji flinched. That was the country whom Konoha was at war against. For all he knew, this girl could have been sent to to help overthrow Konoha. Neji was too curious, however, and only gripped the steering wheel tighter than before, nodding to Sakura to continue.

"I wasn't sent here by anyone to overthrow anything," Sakura said."I came here on my own will, and I am fully aware that what I am doing is treasonous to my counrty." Sakura bit her lip. "Please, sir. You must believe me. There is a plot out there, involving many people who are bent on your destruction."

Neji shivered at the way Sakura put the situation, but struggled to stay emotionless. "I wasn't suspecting you for anything," He said bluntly. "Please, continue. This... intrigues me."

Sakura blinked, and nodded. "All right. I don't know any names of anyone in this secret organization that plans to overthrow you. But I am sure that this group exists. I was walking by a restaurant that served food from this country a few days ago, and decided to go in andtry Konoha's style. When I was looking for the bathroom to wash my hands, I stumbled upon a hidden room. I eavesdropped for awhile, and heard men speaking of plans to steal your sceptre."

Neji tried hard not to appear shaken, and nodded.

"They planned to steal your sceptre on either this very day or tomorrow, I suspect. After hearing part of their plans, I calculated, and decided that it would take around three days to carry out what they said they would do."

She blinked. "Also, from what I heard, there is a professor who apparently studies ethnics involved in this plot. This professor was to be planted in the Palace, posing as a harmless person who intends to study the culture of his enemy and further understand them. I'm not sure exactly what role this professor plays in the plot, though."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Is his name, by any chance, Anatsuko?" Sakura shrugged. "Perhaps. I have no idea; they referred to him only as 'The Professor'." Neji nodded slowly. "And do you know any specific part of this group's plans? Did they imply the identy of anyone involved at all?" Sakura sorrowfully shook her head. "No, sir. I'm sorry. I heard someone approaching shortly after I found the room, and had to run."

Neji nodded slowly for the hundredth time. "Hmm."

When they finally pulled up at the Palace, Neji and Sakura left the car and walked quickly to the grand doors guarded by two sentry men. When they recognized their prince, they saluted and lifted their halberds to allow the prince and the strange girl through the doors.

As they walked, Neji silently cursed the sentry man who had first mentioned the professor, and had wheedled an approval out of him. As soon as he found that traitorous idiot, he would wring off the neck of the sentry man with his own hands. Then, he'd-

"Uh, sir?"

Neji snapped out of his murderous thoughts and stared blankly at Sakura. "What?"

Sakura pointed ahead. Neji looked, in time to stop short of banging into a door frame. He brought his fingers to his temples, and rubbed, closing his eyes momentarily. Finally, he stepped around the door frame and led an amused Sakura to the sceptre room. 

"Ms. Haruno," Neji said stoically. Sakura, mildly surprised ata sudden outburst from this quiet young man, nodded. "Yes sir." Neji leaned his head back and stared momentarily at the ceiling as it passed by. "If I find that you are casting these suspicions into my mind just to help your country in war, or anything of the sort, the consequences will be severe. Extremely severe."

Sakura stared at the back of the mysterious prince's head. She followed his chestnut hair with her eyes down to the tips of his clean locks. She blinked. "Yes sir."

Neji stopped, and turned to stare at the pink-haired woman behind him. She stopped a foot behind him, and stared back defiantly. Her face was completely calm, and her confidence shined brightly in her viridian eyes.

Neji saw the glow of truth in her innocent, wide eyes, and knew she was not lying to him. But that meant…

Neji gritted his teeth, turned around on his heel, and marched faster towards the sceptre room. 

If this foreign girl was telling the truth, then that would mean the plot to steal his sceptre was real as well. Which would mean the professor really was a fad, a part of the plot, planted in the castle. And if this plot succeeded, Neji would not have the crown resting on his head or the sceptre in his hand two days from now.

_Crap._

Sakura followed Neji dutifully all the way to the sceptre room. Neji ignored the surprised salutes of the sentry men by the door, and cut to the chase.

"Is the professor in there?" The guards nodded. "Has anyone gone in or out? Did you hear anything strange?" The guards shook their heads, looking worried. "No, your Majesty. Were you expecting someone to go in or come out?" 

Neji blinked slowly at the guard who spoke. Pushing the sudden burst of anger to the bottom of his stomach, Neji flung open the door, and was about to march in, before he stopped suddenly.

Lying on the floor was the professor, the royal photographer, and the two guards that had been assigned to watch the professor. All four people were unconscious. The camera lay on its side by the photographer. The sceptre was gone.

Neji's breath caught in his throat, and he coughed violently. He placed a hand on the door frame by his side, and leaned over, coughing harder. A pair of small, cool hands righted his abdomen and patted his back. It was Sakura, looking grim, her pink brows furrowed in thought.

When he stopped coughing, his vision cleared slightly, and he looked around. The two guards who were guarding the door had run into the room and were frantically looking around, not sure what to do first.

Leaning heavily on Sakura, Neji lifted his hand. "Take the four unconscious men to the hospital. Have them strapped to the beds, and wait for them to come to. When they do, question them separately. I want every detail taken into consideration."

Neji gritted his teeth and glared at the two frozen guards. Venom dripped from his voice like sugary water. "Got it?"

The guards eeped and saluted quickly, before dragging the four unconscious men out the door.

Neji righted himself and rolled his shoulders back. Sakura stood nearby, looking worried. "Sir?" Neji nodded.

"I'd like permission to examine this case as well, if you please."

Neji nodded again. It didn't matter to him whether she had any detective skills or not. He needed all the help he could get to retrieve his sceptre. 

Neji turned his face to the door. "Guard!" A random guard scurried in. "Yes, sir!"

"Have the sentry men guarding the courtyard outside this window questioned. Make sure you take into contemplation every detail they tell."

"Yes, sir!" The guard saluted and scurried out the door.

Sakura left the side of the prince of Konoha, and circled the pedestal that held the crown and sceptre like a prowling lioness. She stood straight and tall, her steps even, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes focused on the pedestal she was circling. Neji watched her, all the while thinking as well.

Sakura's eyes flitted from the pedestal to the walls, to the window, and back to the pedestal. Neji reached up to flick a lock of dark hair from his face, and Sakura's eyes slid smoothly from the window to his hand, before shifting her gaze to the pedestal. Her emerald eyes, Neji decided, missed nothing.

For the first time, Neji noticed what she was wearing- a dark grey turtleneck sweater, tan slacks, and a pair of black boots. The hems of her oversized slacks were folded up to the area below her ankles, and covered the edges of the boots. Neji expected to hear the swish of cloth and the tap of rubber against marble every time she took a step, but instead, not a sound emitted from her nimble feet. Her fingers, clasped behind her back, were long and thin, and looked extremely capable. She held her face not too high, but not too low either- a sign of controlled confidence and calmness. Her pink hair swished gently with every step, and she blinked leisurely, her tan skin folding and unfolding gracefully over her green orbs. Her hips swayed elegantly as she walked slowly, examining and thinking.

Subconsciously, Neji mused over how suitable she would be as a princess.

After a long time, the guard scurried back in. "Sir!" He said, addressing Neji. "The guards have nothing strange to report, sir! They say they heard nothing except for the open and close of a window, sir! They also saw nothing out of the ordinary, sir!"

Neji sighed, and closed his eyes and leaned back against the door frame, thinking. "Have the guards search the courtyard for my sceptre. Give them ten minutes."

"Yes, sir!" The guard scuttled out of the room again. 

Neji shifted his eyes back to the pacing Sakura, slightly curious about her opinion on things. She, instead, didn't react at all. Her eyes remained on the floor, where they last rested, and her brow was furrowed even deeper than before. She took one last step, brought her feet together, and stopped. She lifted her face, and slid her eyes to the right to stare at the camera tripod. She blinked, and her eyes widened.

Neji followed her gaze, and when he looked back at her, she was staring at him. She broke their eye contact, and walked towards the camera. She bent down, picked the camera tripod up, and shook it, listening for any clacking sounds. Hearing none, she set down the camera tripod and picked up the camera. She lifted the cloth of the camera and folded back the hard wooden back of the camera. She raised her eyebrows.

Neji stood up straight, curious, and walked toward the mildly-surprised girl. He looked in. Folded inside the camera was a large, thick-wired spring. Sakura pointed the side with the spring away from herself, and pressed the trigger button. The spring burst out of the camera, and dangled listlessly. 

Sakura turned her head slowly to meet Neji's gaze. "I think I've found the way our culprit got rid of the sceptre."

Sakura took the camera to the window, opened the window, and reset the spring. She pointed the face of the camera with the spring showing at the area far beyond the courtyard, and pressed the shutter. The spring flew out. Neji was sure the spring could send something flying into a very far distance, and so, obviously, did Sakura.

Just as she set the camera back down and set to thinking, the guard from earlier scuttled in again. "Sir, they didn't find anything in the courtyard that slightly resembled a sceptre!"

"Yes, yes," Neji said impatiently. "I found that out with Ms. Haruno here just now."

"...How, sir?"

Neji picked up the camera to demonstrate. "Inside the camera, Ms. Haruno found a spring that has the strength to send something far from the courtyards from here."

The guard took the camera and looked at it. "Hmm."

Neji took the camera back when the guard offered it back. "Have the mathematician in the southern part of Konoha come up here and figure out the range that this spring can shoot something. Then, have the sentry men in the courtyard and every other guard available search that area. I need the sceptre in two days. If we can't find the sceptre my then..." Neji trailed off. The guard saluted smartly. "Yes sir!"

When the guard left, Sakura blinked at Neji, as though awaiting orders. She stood in front of him, and had to lean back slightly to look him full in the face. Her eyes were wide and innocent, and her facial expression was solemn and thoughtful. Her hands were clasped before her, in a very timid position. But her eyes said otherwise.

"Well," Neji said heavily. "The only thing we can do now is to wait and see, can't we?"

Sakura's eyes sparkled, and she nodded.

* * *

**A/N:** ...Meh.

I guess this is going _okayyyy..._ :-/

Anyway. PLZ **_REVIEWWW!_**

--Sanded Silk-- ♥


	3. Chapter 3

Third chappie! --is happy--

...I can't think of anything to say... o.O

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah, blah, blah.**

--Sanded Silk-- 

* * *

The mathematician took his time arriving and doing the calculations. When he finished, the guards hurried to mark the range on the map of the castle courtyard and began the search. Before Neji and Sakura could leave the room to help the guards in the courtyard search as they planned, the head warder of the prison burst into the room. "Sir! It's unbelievable, sir!"

Neji blinked calmly. "Yes?"

"The professor, the two other guards, and the royal photographer escaped from the prison! They had accomplices among the warders!"

Neji's eyes widened. _Crap._ "Accomplices! Accomplices! They're _everywhere_, sire! The plot is well-laid; all is lost, sire!" The head warder looked on the brink of tears.

Sakura held out her hand to quiet the warder. "When we have time, we still have hope. Sir, you say that we have today and the day after tomorrow to retrieve the sceptre, correct?" Neji nodded. "And the third day from now is the coronation day. If I don't have the sceptre by then, I will have to hand the throne over to someone else."

Sakura bowed her head, thinking. "All right. Sir, I will go out myself to search for the sceptre at the ramparts. If that is all right with you."

Neji nodded. "While you do that, I will drive out to the roads around the courtyard and see if there's anything out of order."

Sakura nodded. "All right."

They stared at each other for a moment, nodded to each other, and turned to their separate ways. "B-But... what should I do?" Asked the confused warder. He received no answer.

* * *

Sakura walked calmly into the woods and began to walk around slowly, looking for any hint of a person nearby or a glint of gold. Suddenly, she heard voices behind her. She whipped around, and dove behind a bush, listening intently

"If that royal idiot of a photographer aimed at the bunch of birch trees we agreed on, we would have found the sceptre a long time ago..." It was a man who spoke. He had raven-blue hair and onyx eyes. Another man accompanied him; a fool-faced blonde, with big blue eyes and strange whiskers streaking his cheeks.

Another voice came from Sakura's right. She silently pushed herself further into the bushes, and listened. "I found it! I found the sceptre!" A brown haired young man with red, gangly marks on his cheeks and a white dog padding at his side ran into view, waving a sceptre in his hand. Sakura grabbed a rock, and threw it at the bushes behind the brown-haired man. She made sure to throw it fast enough for no one to see, but light enough for only the brown-haired man to hear.

He turned around, confused. "Huh?"

Sakura saw her chance, and dashed out. She snatched the sceptre as she ran by him, ignoring the cry of rage and confusion he uttered as she flew by. She ran as close to the ground as possible, bobbing up and down as little as possible too, trying to keep her striking hair from view.

Gunshots rang out behind her. _Oh, great._ The brown-haired man had been armed with a gun, it seemed. One bullet whizzed close to her ankle. A thin stripe of blood slit open at her ankle, and she winced at the surprisingly fiery pain it brought. Ignoring the pain, she continued running for the river that bordered the royal courtyard.

To be safe, she turned around to look to see if her attacker had caught up. He did, in fact. But it wasn't the brown-haired, doggish gangster who caught up with her- it was the onyx-eyed stranger. Sakura gasped, caught off guard from the dark depths of his emotionless eyes. He took the chance, and hit her directly on the area of her neck where a vital blood vein ran. She bit back a cry of pain, and fell forward. 

She felt him lean over her, his chest brushing her back, to grab the sceptre from her loosened grip. "Sorry," He whispered into her ear- much to her surprise- and he was gone.

Groaning, Sakura stood back up shakily, and ran after the man. She followed the noise he made as he ran through the woods to the edge of the road, where she heard a car start up and the screech of rubber against asphalt. She stopped at the edge of the road, panting, just in time to see the rear of the car disappear from view.

Just when she thought all hope was gone, another car came into view- a black one. She recognized the driver at once. Neji! "...Uh..." Not knowing exactly what to call him, she waved her arms wildly instead. He came to a stop beside her. "Something wrong?"

Sakura pointed down the road towards the direction that the other car had sped off in. "I found the sceptre, but three other men were looking for the sceptre too! They fought it from me, and drove off!"

Neji's eyes widened. He indicated at the car door. "Get in."

Sakura opened the door, jumped in, and slammed the door. Neji slammed on the gas pedal, and they drove off frenzily.

When they came near to a gas station, she saw three men standing outside of their car impatiently, their dark blue car being pumped. She gasped, and pointed frantically at the three men. "That's them! The one with the blue hair has the sceptre!"

Neji skidded to a stop in front of the three men. They looked up, and their eyes widened when they recognized the king. They made a dash for the rocky mountain the gas station was by, and began to scramble up the rocks.

Neji whipped out his gun and shot at the rocks above two of the men- the brown-haired man and the blond-haired man. The rocks came loose from the impact of the bullets, and sent the two men that were on the rocks sliding down to the ground. Each landed with a sickening thump, and lay still. 

Neji quickly gathered the two bodies. "Sakura!" He yelled as he did this, ignoring the confused cries of the gas station's owner. Sakura, at the edge of the mountain, turned obediently.

"Go after the blue-haired one! I'll take care of these two. Remember, you only have today and tomorrow to get the sceptre!" Sakura saluted, smiling as cheerfully as possible. "Right!" And she was off.

As soon as she scaled the almost-vertical side of the mountain and was able to get her footing, she kicked up her heels into the fastest sprint she could manage on a rocky path. She followed the blue-haired man's footprints, running as fast as her long legs would let her. 

This chase lasted for a long time. It lasted, in fact, until the end of the day. Sakura was still up and running and following the footprints long after the sun set. She stopped only to stoop over on her knees and to pant a few pained breaths, before starting off again. Finally, when the moon was almost exactly overhead, Sakura stopped. She flopped down onto a farely flat face of rock, and stared at the moon. _Midnight..._

After a long time, she rolled over and went to sleep.

The next day, she woke up when the sky was still dark. She looked arond for the moon, but couldn't see it. _Probably around five in the morning right now... _She got up and stretched, ignoring the pain deep in her hip bone from sleeping on her side. Yawning one last time, she began to run down the path again, wincing at the pain.

Suddenly, she tripped, and went sprawling into the dirt with a cry. _What...? _She looked down at her ankle, which was the source of the pain that tripped her. The area around the thin bullet wound looked infected. _That bullet... had poison on it! _Wincing, she stood up. Testing her ankle, she got up and rotated it.

Thinking it was fine, she set out to run. But just before she could place a foot on the ground, something caught her ear. Someone groaned from the level of mountain under her. She ran to the edge and peered down.

There, getting up from a good night's sleep and rubbing his head, was the onyx-eyed man. Sticking out of his coat pocket gleamed the golden sceptre. He looked up, and met eyes with her for one split second. Without hesitating one moment, he got up and ran down the path. 

Sakura didn't give her ankle a second thought. She placed one hand firmly on the rock at her feet, and flipped over the edge, landing as lightly as possibly on the spot that the man had been on seconds ago.

As she ran after him, he looked back and continued running. "Geez," He called without turning around. "Are you some kind of secret agent? Who taught you those moves?"

Sakura ignored his teasing and continued running.

Suddenly, he halted with a screech and turned a sharp corner, which led almost straight down the side of the mountain. Beside the mountain, between the rocky wall and a crashing river, was a sign post. In the direction of the mountain pointed a sign that read "Konoha". The other sign, which faced the river, read "Suna".

_The frontier! _Sakura knew she had no time to loose. If this man got over the border, she would have no chance of stopping him.

She skid to a stop on the edge of themountain path and waited, biting her lip. She watched the man touch his foot to the ground, and run for the frontier.

_Not yet..._

Sakura forced her heart back down her throat as she watched.

_Not yet..._

She slowed the movements of his legs with her mind, focusing as hard as she could, waiting for the right time to move.

_NOW!_

Sakura flung herself over the edge and fell towards the man as he ran by, landing smoothly- but painfully- on top of him. He knocked his head against the edge of a rock on the ground, and passed out.

Breathing hard, Sakura rolled off the man and sat still for awhile, catching her breath. She could almost feel the bags under her eyes, and sighed. The sun was peeking over the horizon now.

The pain in her hip and ankle brought her back to her senses. She crawled over to the side of the man and flipped him over, searching his pockets. She grabbed the sceptre and stuffed it down her pant leg, until the tip of the sceptre reached her knee. She needed to be able to stretch her legs and run when need be, and didn't want the sceptre to interfere with her leg movement. Tightly securing her belt so that it pressed the sceptre painfully against her good hip, she reached over to search his other pockets.

In one pocket, she found a compass with a built-in watch. She stuffed it into her own pocket, and continued searching.

In his pants pocket, she found a wallet, brown and leather-made. She opened the wallet, ignoring the money, and found a few sheets of bluish, strange-looking paper. She unfolded the papers, and read them. 

On one sheet, someone had written the plan for the entire plot in detail. The plot included stealing the sceptre, as well as many names and headquarters. Sakura caught the name "Anatsuko" on the paper, and her mind flew back to the ethnics professor she had heard about in the restaurant. She shook her head slowly, and continued skimming. The letter also included a bit on taking over a radio station and broadcasting the signal to attack the palace in code. 

Then, she came to the part where the letter described the three people who were to find the sceptre and cross the frontier; Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba (with his dog, Akamaru), and Uchiha Sasuke.

The other paper was written in the same neat handwriting. This was merely a reminder, and contained a few more names than the first one.

Both papers were signed by the same messy signature: "Akatsuki". Underneath this strange word was printed a more specific name: "Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura held up the first paper, and found that the last names of the person who signed the letter and one of the people who were to find the sceptre in the woods and escape with it had the same last names. _Relatives, hmm? _She looked down at the man before her, still unconscious, and wondered which one this man was.

Inuzuka Kiba had a dog, and it didn't look like this guy had a dog. So this guy couldn't be Kiba for sure. That left Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto sounded too much of a nerdy name for this mysterious-looking one. But she couldn't rule that out completely yet.

Sakura folded these papers, and placed them into the pocket of the wallet. She stood up, gave Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto one last look, and looked up.

The sudden movement caused a sensation deep in her head and her eyes. She leaned heavily against the side of the mountain, gasping. What was wrong with her?

_...Ah. _She hadn't eaten for all of yesterday and today. She was starved.

Looking around, Sakura caught sight of a house across the river. _Across the river? _There was no way she could cross the frontier without getting in trouble. But she was too hungry; one little visit couldn't hurt.

Sighing, Sakura began using the various flat rocks in the river to cross to the house.

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**A/N: **Lol, I use "..."'s so often, it's not even funny. :-P

Whatever. Please reviewwww!

--Sanded Silk-- 


	4. Chapter 4

Fourth chappie? Fifth? Argh, too lazy to look.

Anywayz. Here's the new chapter- fifth/fourth, I don't know. :-/

**Disclaimer: ...BLARGH.**

--Sanded Silk--

* * *

Sakura leapt nimbly from one rock to another, landing painfully on the other side. Rubbing her hip, she limped to the house. Cautiously, she peeked around the wall to see if the coast was clear. She saw a large group of men, wearing the same uniform, eating and laughing raucously. A dog, large and brown, lay sleeping at the edge of the table. It was bone-thin, and breathed unevenly.

Soldiers from Suna, guarding the frontier!

Just as she was about to slip away, the dog cracked an eye open. The other eye flew open as well, and it jumped to its feet, barking loudly. Sakura winced openly as all eyes of the soldiers turned to her.

The dog lept at her, straining the chain that kept it attached to the table. The chain pulled the table over, and the food flew off the table. Sakura barely caught a flying loaf of bread and a corked jug of- water?- and turned tail, running for her life for the river.

Gunshots rang out; in front of her_. Huh?_

She looked up, eyes and mouth open wide. Naruto/Sasuke had awoken, and was shooting at her. Sakura felt a large wave of exasperation as she turned and ran in another direction. If he had been armed, why did he not shoot her earlier? Not that he had the chance...

Ignoring her logic, she pressed on up the hill. A gunshot rang out extremely close to her, and the jug of water in her hand exploded. She let go immediately, squeaking. As she continued upwards, she began to wolf down the bread under her arm, picking small pieces off of the large hunk.

When she reached another small house, she closed her eyes and burst through the door. Thankfully, it was empty. It was scantily furnished, and another door was visible at the opposite side of the single-roomed house.

Sakura looked back, and listened intently. The voices shouting and the sound of a single dog barking were getting closer rapidly. She didn't have much time left.

_Wow, I never thought this would come in handy in such a situation... _Sighing, Sakura took out the tiny can of pepper spray from her back pocket and sprayed the floor and walls. Covering her mouth and nose, she sprayed the air as well, until every last speck of pepper had been used up.

Satisfied, she ran out the other door, wolfing down the rest of the bread. As she ran, she heard the sounds of a dog barking turning to the sound of a dog whining, and the sound of men shouting turning to the sound of men sneezing crazily. Sakura bit back a fit of giggling, and pressed on.

After a few hours of walking, Sakura flopped down on a patch of green, lush grass that lined the small road she had been following. Turning back was not a choice now, because she had forgotten the way, and turning back would only mean facing those soldiers and Naruto/Sasuke again, which she _really _didn't want to do.

Sighing, Sakura leaned back until she was lying on the grass, her head cushioned by her arms. She stared at the cloudless sky, tired and soar. She pressed a hand to the sceptre belted against her hip, and winced. Hopefully, she would make it to the palace by the end of the day, and get rid of the stupid hunk of gold pressed against her hip, which had caused her so much pain and frustration and patience, plus a night's good rest. And a few meals. And both of her hips. And her ankle. And...

Sakura continued her mental rant, until she saw an airplane flying extremely low overhead. Sakura jumped up. If she could find an airport nearby, maybe she could get some food and a decent chair to sit in for a minute or two. Or maybe...

Sakura followed the plane, and watched where it landed, which appeared to be in the middle of the mountainous ground she was on. An airport in the middle of a mountain?

Sakura sighed. There went her hopes for a good meal and a chair.

She walked to the area where the airplane appeared to have landed, and found herself at the edge of a man-made plane. How was something like this going to help her in her situation?

Sakura sighed, dejected, and turned to leave. Then, a light bulb went off above her head. Sakura smirked evilly, turned around, and flopped down into the grass. She began to move her arms and legs together, pressing all ten fingers and all ten toes into the ground, as she scooted along in the tall grass, her stomach millimeters from the ground.

Moving quickly, she watched the pilot of the newly-landed airplane leave his airplane. Careful not to be spotted, she crawled to the still-opened door and lunged in, closing the door securely behind her as quietly as possible.

Aware that she was short on time, Sakura swiftly walked around the airplane, looking for the pilot's room, which wasn't hard to find. She walked into the room, cautiously looked around to make sure it was empty, closed the door behind her, and sat down. She stared at the controls for a moment, trying to figure out which button/switch controlled what.

Luckily, the pilot had left the airplane with the key still in the trigger. Maybe he planned on flying somewhere else after a quick stop at this airport.

Sakura turned the key, and the engine roared to life. She could hear men outside shouting, and quickly began to skim the buttons and switches again. She found one that said "Accelerate", and pulled the lever down halfway. The airplane jerked, and began to roll down the runway.

Breathing unevenly, Sakura pulled the lever all the way down, and the airplane vroomed into full speed. Clenching her teeth, Sakura pressed the buttons surrounding the words "Take Off", not bothering to consider the possibility that other things might have had to been done before direct take off. She grasped both sides of the steering wheel, and gasped as she felt the plane lift off above the ground.

Sakura quickly pushed the button that was labeled "Sheathe Wheels", and felt the rumble of the wheels as they groaned and retreated into the belly of the airplane. Leaning back, Sakura felt a short period of relief wash over her, plus a quick burst of pride and triumph. What a story this would make to tell her grandchildren; the life-risking adventures of Haruno Sakura in her mission to help the enemy king.

Finally, Sakura began to feel worried. Was she going in the right direction? Did the airplane have enough fuel to power her trip to Konoha, and her foreseen period of time taken to look for a good place to land the stupid thing?

Sakura blinked twice, and slowly peeked over the edge of the windshield at the ground. The entire foresty mountain was completely unrecognizable from the heights of the airplane. Plus, it made her dizzy.

Suddenly, she realized she was getting closer to the ground. She leaned back with a small cry, and looked around to see if anything she was doing had caused the sudden dip. She realized that when she leaned over the wheel, she had subconsciously tipped the top half of the wheel away from her, causing the plane to lower.

Sakura rapidly tipped the top half of the wheel towards her stomach, and felt her ears pop painfully as she quickly went higher into the air.

After rubbing her ears momentarily with one hand, she tipped the wheel back into the regular, straight position, and sighed. Her heart was pounding, she realized, and her skin felt cold and sweaty. Her stomach had shot up her throat, and she swallowed rapidly to rid the feeling. She shifted her grip slightly on the airplane, and sighed loudly. This was going to be one long ride.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting crash sounded from her left. Sakura jumped, and, carefully avoiding the steering wheel, leaned over to peek out of the windshield at her left. Something had exploded there, but what?

A whistling sound formed at her right, followed by another loud crash. Sakura looked down, frowning, and saw the source of the crashes. She was probably flying in the wrong direction, because a bomb squad headquarter was underneath her, and she did not remember seeing any of those on her way inland. Cannons were at the ready, and following her every movement. Every once in a while, a bright flash appeared at the nose of the cannon, and a crash sounded frighteningly close to her.

_They're shooting at me!_

The realization nearly have Sakura a heart attack. Her own country, trying to shoot her down... this was insane. But then again, it wasn't really their fault.

Sakura sighed. The airport she had stolen the plane from must have tracked the direction she had flown off in, and contactd the bomb squad she was being attacked by at the moment. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Sakura gritted her teeth and began to swerve to the right and to the left in no particular pattern. She slowed and accelerated without any clue of what she was doing. The only thing on her mind was to pass this squad alive.

That thought was crushed, however, when an extremely loud crash resounded behind her. The floor and the seat she had been sitting on vibrated crazily. The air filled with smoke, and a sudden wave of heat washed over her from behind. With a sickening feeling in her stomach, Sakura realized that she had been hit.

Grappling with fear, Sakura struggled to stay calm. Sakura forced herself to think calmly, and decided to stay in the plane to the end. If she tried to escape with a parachute- which was the only way to escape- she would definitely be spotted, and since she would be falling slowly, she would be too much of an easy target to shoot down, which was probably what the bomb squad was planning to do. Sakura looked down at the grassy plane she was probably going to crash into. The grass looked tall enough for her to hide in. If she got out, she would be able to hide for awhile and wait for things to calm down. Hopefully.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura unclasped the buckles of the seatbelt that held her to the seat and grasped harder onto the handles of the steering wheel, watching the ground grow closer and closer. This was it.

With the loudest crash she had ever heard in her life, Sakura was thrown from her seat. The large metal pieces that formed the plane fell apart, sliding from the grip of the iron nails that held them together and falling apart. The glass of the windshield shattered and fell away. Shielding her head with her hands, Sakura made a run for the opening that the shattered winshield provided.

As she ran, a piece of metal fell from above and dug painfully into her rib. Blood spurted from the fresh wound, and poured in small tricklets down her hip and thigh to her calf. Sakura cried out, and felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she threw the metal away from her. Pressing a hand to the wound, Sakura shielded her face with her other arm and continued her run, clambering over the control tables and ignoring the levers and buttons as they dug painfully into her ankles and legs.

Once she was outside, she ducked behind the plane and ripped multiple strips of cloth from her pant legs. She tied the ends of the strips of cloth together to form an extra-long strip of cloth, and wound the strip around her abdomen to staunch the bleeding.

As soon as she was satisfied that the strip was tight enough around her abdomen to staunch the bleeding and to not leave a trail of blood behind her, Sakura lowered herself slowly to the grass and lay there for a bit, panting and biting her lip to keep from whimpering.

When she felt ready to move, she began to crawl slowly away from the wreckage and into the nearby forest. Slowly, she proceeded, inch by inch, pain shooting through her body with every movement. Often, Sakura stopped to lay down and to force herself to be calm. Finally, at the edge of the forest, Sakura got up and ran into the woody shades. She ducked down into the brush, cupping her hand over her wound to keep it protected from the dirt, and looked behind her. The plane was consumed in flames, and men were around it with hoses, trying to put out the fire.

Turning back around, Sakura stared into the forest and trudged in, breathing hard. This really _was _going to be one long day. And a story worth telling her grandchildren, if she lived through.

Sakura put a hand to her hip to make sure that the sceptre was still in place, and limped into the welcoming darkness.

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**A/N:** -whew- My sister's whining to get on the computer, so I had to wrap this one up quickly. Sorry. :-/

Thanks, and please **_REVIEWWW!!_**

--Sanded Silk--


	5. Chapter 5

Ok. Now, I'm _sure_ that this is the fifth chapter. --is sheepish--

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Sadly. But I will! Just WATCH ME! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! --runs off, screaming maniacally--**

--Sanded Silk--

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Wiping sweat and blood from her face, Sakura limped through the forest aimlessly. She had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do. At this point, her mission seemed hopeless.

Sakura sat down heavily in the shade of a tall, thick bush and leaned on its soft leaves lightly, breathing raggedly. She brought one hand to her rib and cupped the wound, wincing. Hope and the will to live had abandoned her, leaving her only with the thought that she would die here in the forest, lonely and painfully. Turning her head to press her cheek against the bush, she closed her eyes and waited for the darkness to sink in.

As she ran her hand over her rib, her fingers brushed against the sceptre hidden in her pants. She grasped the ornate head of the sceptre like it was her only stronghold in the world. An image of Neji appeared behind her eyelids, and she snapped her eyes open. When she realized she was only imagining things, she lowered her eyes and thought.

If she died, she realized, everything she had done and suffered through would have been in vain. Her night spent out in the mountain, her- exhilarating?- experience flying the airplane, her poisoned ankle and bleeding side- it would all have been for nothing.

Sakura bit her lip and struggled to stand up. She couldn't die. Not yet.

As she scanned her surroundings, her eyes caught sight of something red and yellow. She limped towards it, and saw that it was a pole with a horizontal rectangle stuck on top of it. When she reached the pole, she found herself at the edge of a lonely, narrow road. She looked up at the rectangle, and found herself staring at a sign. It pointed down one of the two directions the road offered, and it read "Konoha- 14 miles".

Sakura's mouth dropped open. 14 miles?!

Sakura thought of waiting for a car to pass by, but she decided that the bump the sceptre formed at her hip and the blood that was clearly visible through her clothes and on her hands would attract too much attention and suspicion. In her condition, she couldn't trust anyone. She would have to walk.

She looked down the road forlornly. With a heavy sigh, she began to limp down the road.

Clenching her teeth, Sakura focused on placing one foot in front of the other as she slowly made her way to Konoha. Her usually-big eyes were narrowed and full of agony. One hand was pressed to her injured side, and her other arm dangled uselessly. She limped dangerously, her ankle hurting more and more, until the pain became excruciating. Finally, when she couldn't take the walking any longer, she sat down by the road and rested, panting.

Slowly, the sky began to darken. Sakura realized with a start that she had skipped lunch, and was probably going to skip dinner. Her stomach ached from hunger, but the pain was nothing compared to that of her ankle and side. Sweat completely covered her body by the time she covered about 4 out of the 14 miles she needed to walk.

Suddenly, she heard the roar of a car. Sakura quickly ducked into the brush and peeked out from the leafy mess. The car that passed, she realized with a jolt of sickening shock, was driven by the Naruto/Sasuke person whom she had chased to the frontier. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as he drove by, and waited for the car to disappear around the corner and out of sight before she got up and continued her journey.

Finally, the moon became visible. The sun was just barely over the horizon. Sakura blinked slowly, and shook her head to keep herself awake. She needed to get to the Palace before dawn, and she couldn't do that if she fell asleep. Biting her lip and drawing blood to keep herself awake, she limped on.

Hours passed by, and darkness saw the pink-haired young woman trekking dutifully down the dirty road. The moon was misty and blurry from the thin clouds that masked it, and stars were beginning to appear. Sakura saw a rapidly-moving flashing light, and knew that it was an airplane. The sight of the airplane brought her mind flying back to her earlier adventure. She smiled grimly, and that smile quickly turned to a grimace as pain shot up her leg from her ankle.

After hours and hours of walking, Sakura passed a sign welcoming people into Konoha. She grinned to herself, relieved, and limped on faster.

As she traveled deeper into the town, she passed more and more people. Everyone turned to watch the strange, bloodied girl limp down the road, a look of agony twisting her face.

Suddenly, a large hand fell onto her shoulder. Sakura winced and turned around, and found herself facing a worried-looking farmer. "Miss," He said, "Would you like to borrow one of my horses? You can return it at your leisure."

Sakura would have refused, but the thought of walking the next few miles that would lead her to the Palace nearly made her cry. "Where is your house? I'll return it to you tomorrow, if I can."

The man quickly told her where his house was. Apparently, she had passed it on her way into the town. Sakura nodded gratefully, and he lent her one of his horses- a tall, tame mare. It had a brown coat with black legs, mane and tail. It leaned its head down gently to sniff Sakura's ugly wound, and flicked out a tongue tentatively to lick it.

The kind old man helped Sakura onto the horse, pointed out where the Palace was, and watched her as she nudged the mare into a quick trot. He scratched the back of his neck as he watched the back of the mysterious, seriously-wounded girl grow further and further away. To tell the truth, he thought to himself as he watched, he didn't really mind if she didn't return his mare. It was probably better that she had it anyway.

Sakura sighed gratefully as the wind passed her rapidly over her sweat-covered face and through her dust-caked hair. it was a relief to be sitting and moving so rapidly at the same time.

--At the Palace--

Neji paced back and forth, glanced out the window, frowned at the darkness, and turned to pace again. His general and advisors stood by him, equally nervous.

"Sir," Began the general, "Sir, if your sceptre is not returned to you by dawn, you will have to give up your throne! Are you sure it was wise to put all of your trust and faith in that foreign girl?"

Neji paused, looked at the general, and smiled weakly. "I have never met someone more noble, truthful, and daring than that girl. Yes, I'm sure that I did right to put my faith in her." He continued pacing.

"But sir!" One of the advisors cried. "If you do not have your sceptre, to avoid bloodshed, your only option will be to abdicate! Unless you plan to kill princess Hinata...?"

Neji shook his head calmly. "There will be no need for bloodshed. I will abdicate."

Suddenly, a sentry-man ran into the room, panting. "Sir!" He cried. "Sir, the young woman you sent to chase after the last man- she's returned!"

Neji's head snapped up, and he rushed out of the room, his advisors and general close at his heels.

When he came to the main gate, Sakura had already dismounted the horse, and was leaning heavily against it, her eyes closed. With one hand, she clutched a poorly-bandaged wound at her side. In the other hand gleamed the center of all the trouble she had gone through- the golden sceptre.

Neji hurried across the bridge, and wrapped his arms around Sakura's slim shoulders into a relieved embrace. He pushed his face into her dusty hair, ignoring the sceptre clutched in her hand. "Sakura," He whispered, over and over again. The horse Sakura was leaning against neighed softly.

Sakura closed her eyes, and for the first time that day, she really relaxed. She put her weight completely on Neji, and felt completely at bliss for a few moments in the arms of the person she had sacrificed a whole day for.

Neji leaned back to glance Sakura over. He slowly took in her numerous wounds, and his eyes stopped at her side, bandaged messily and still slightly bleeding. "What happened?"

Sakura shook her head weakly. "It's a long story." Then, she frowned, remembering something. She stuffed her hand into her pocket, and pulled out the leather wallet she had found on Naruto/Sasuke. "I found this wallet on the person I was chasing yesterday," She said, handing the wallet to Neji. "It's got two letters printed on blue paper. One is a detailed outline of the plot, including names of everyone involved, and the other is just a reminder. They're both signed by 'Akatsuki', and underneath the word 'Akatsuki' is signed 'Uchiha Itachi'."

Neji took the wallet and opened it, easily finding the two blue pieces of paper. He skimmed them, and his eyebrows traveled rapidly up his forehead as he read on. "So," He murmured. "The Akatsuki, hm?"

He looked over his shoulder and beckoned his general to come over. "General, arrest everyone mentioned in this letter, including the Akatsuki. At once." The general looked over the letters, saluted, and said "Yes sir!" Before turning to leave and to fulfill his task.

Neji swept Sakura up into his arms, carefully avoiding contact with the ugly wound at her side, and turned to carry her into the Palace to the hospital wing. She closed her eyes and leaned close to Neji's chest. She bathed blissfully in the air of reassurance and tenderness he suddenly carried, and sighed.

It was one long day.

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**A/N: **After this, there will be one more chappie, and then this will be the first multi-chaptered story that I finished. I think. My mind's dead right now, so I can't remember. Correct me if I'm wrong. (Balanced doesn't count, because I stopped it; it's not exactly _complete_).

Please **_REVIEWWW!! _**--looks at scanty amount of reviews received for this story and sobs--

--Sanded Silk--


	6. Chapter 6

Hihi everyone!

I know I said in the previous chapter that this one would be the last, but now I don't know. I might add an epilogue, but I might not... :-/

Eh. Whatever. After you read this chapter, review and tell me if you think I should write an epilogue or not. :D

**Disclaimer: ... D:**

--Sanded Silk--

* * *

The next day, a parade took place in the streets of Konoha. Neji, with his sceptre, sat in a covered carriage with windows on either side, waving to his people and smiling. Sakura road on a snowy-white horse behind him in Konoha's traditional armor designed to fit a woman. She smiled at the crowd, but since most of the people in the crowd didn't know her, she didn't attract too much attention.

At the end of the parade, Sakura had time to change from the armor to a strapless midnight-blue dress. It was elegantly designed, with a slit starting at her mid-thigh and travelling down her right leg. She also wore creamy-white gloves that traveled from her fingertips to her upper arms. Her navy heeled sandals matched the hue of her dress perfectly. Neji had also given her a small, silver tiara, a simple pearl necklace, and matching pearl earrings. The pearliness of her jewelry reminded her starkly of Neji's eyes.

Sakura sat in front of the mirror and stared at herself for a moment. She found herself looking at a dull-eyed, pale-skinned, half-starved girl with lifeless pink hair and a petite nose. She sighed heavily, and the girl in the mirror did the same.

Sakura peeled off her gloves momentarily to apply a small amount of much-needed makeup to her cheeks and nose, and gently smeared mascara onto her eyelashes. She quickly covered her parched lips in a thin layer of dark-red lip gloss. She pinned her short hair back into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, leaving strands of cherry-pink hair framing her heart-shaped face. Her neck felt oddly cold, as did her shoulders and cheeks. Shivering, Sakura pulled on her gloves and darted for the door to see what she was to do next.

A meeting ensued, almost immediately after her small amount of free time- a meeting that Neji had scheduled to happen at last minute. As he entered the room, he smirked at Sakura and, with a casual tilt of his chin, hinted that she would be in the center of the meeting. Curious and nervous, Sakura tailed him into the room.

Neji nodded for her to sit in a chair like everyone else in the room. She watched intently and curiously as Neji, with a swish of his expensive clothing, walked calmly to his throne in the middle of the far wall. Beside him stood another throne, meant for the queen, which stood empty and not looking very inviting. Sakura vaguely wondered who the new queen might be.

One glance around the room was all the girl needed to feel extremely self-conscious. All the other ladies wore heavy makeup, millions of jewels, and much more sofisticated, fancy clothes. Their clothes and hair dangled with jewels and little trinkets of gold and silver. Sakura glanced down at her own simple attire, and sighed, feeling poor and left out. The fact that she was of an enemy country didn't make anything better.

Sighing, Sakura ignored her sensitive ego and waited for the meeting to start.

Neji sat down in his fancy chair, and waited for the crowd to quiet, which is immediately did. "I know this is alarmingly- and annoyingly- last-minute, but I think this was necessary. After this short meeting, I assure you, every single person in here will think that this meeting was necessary as well."

He glanced at Sakura, and the corner of his lip tilted a fraction of an inch upwards. "I gathered everyone here today, at this inconvenient time, to honor one specific person; someone who played a large role in my path to the throne.

"Although this special person was a female, and a citizen of Suna, she risked her life to travel here to Konoha and to deliver a message to me- a very important one. It was she who brought to my attention that people were plotting to steal the sceptre whose presence-" he held up the sceptre in his right hand- "-was necessary for me to be crowned supreme ruler of Konoha."

Sakura was sitting up straight now, listening to him talk, not minding the fact that he was speaking as though she wasn't there. Her viridian eyes were wide with innocent wonder at being recognized.

Neji briefly told the story of the three-day relationship he had with this mysterious, enemy girl, from the day his bumbling chauffeur had bumped into her with his car to the wounds she had received on her two-day adventure.

After he finished, the crowd was dead-silent. No one could believe that a foreign, enemy girl would risk her life for anyone from her enemy country- especially not the king. If this story had not come directly from Neji's lips, no one would have believed a work of it.

Then, to break the stillness, Neji reached into the pocket of his cape and pulled out a golden medallion which hung from a thick, looped strand of green-and-silver silk.

"Now then," He said, fingering the medallion, a perfectly calm expression embedded in his face. "I think it's time I revealed to you all who this mysterious girl is."

He lifted his face, and his eyes met Sakura's wide ones squarely. Pearl met emerald, and locked for a long moment. Finally, without switching his gaze away, Neji stood up and beckoned to Sakura. "Haruno Sakura, if you please."

Sakura stood up shakily, aware of all the surprised and disdainful stares she was getting. Heaving her chest with a sigh, Sakura stepped into the red-carpetted aisle and walked up the small pathway.

Neji watched her with heavily-disguised lust. Her dress hugged her curves snugly, and accentuated the sway of her hips as she walked. She placed one foot in front of the other gracefully, and carried her weight as though it were as light as a feather. It was evident that she was unaware of her alluring appearance, however- her hands were clasped gently in front of her as she walked; a sign of innocence.

Sakura came to a stop at the foot of the throne, a few feet away. Her heels made no sound against the thick carpet as she brought her inner ankles together in a polite stance. She lifted her delicate chin, and her gaze met Neji's.

Neji stood up with the agility of a warrior, making his extremely royal clothes seem out of place on him. He descended from the three steps that elevated him from the room's normal ground level. He stopped a foot or so away from Sakura.

Neither moved for a moment, and Neji was the first to act. He closed the small distance between them, proving his chin to effortlessly reach well above her head. He lifted the medal, and gently lowered it to rest around Sakura's slender neck. His fingers, calloused and strong, brushed Sakura's collarbone gently. Cold skin met warm flesh, and Sakura couldn't help but to shiver.

Neji lifted his eyes from hers to face the crowd, his hands resting gently on her bare shoulders now. "Never has anyone under the title of Royalty ever received such a reward as this, and even less than never has anyone of a foreign, enemy country received this reward either. But I, Hyuuga Neji, the next legitimate ruler of Konoha, bestow this honor upon the young woman who risked her life to save my title, and perhaps my life, to Haruno Sakura- the Golden Medal of the Hidden Leaf, the highest honor anyone least of Royalty can receive."

Neji gently turned Sakura on her feet to face the crowd. Everyone in the crowd, regardless of their views on such an honor being bestowed upon an enemy dog, rose to their feet and clapped with polite enthusiasm.

Sakura struggled to keep her face calm and emotionless, but her heart was bursting with pride and happiness. Nothing like this had ever happened to her in her life. This was a nice change to the boring, meaningless life she had been leading in Konoha.

Neji waited for the crowd to silence. "Now then," He said, the smallest hint of cheeriness evident in his low voice, "We will move on to the actual coronation ceremony."

The crowd stayed standing respectfully, and allowed Neji and the pink-haired girl in the protection of his arm and billowing cloak leave the room first. As she walked down the aisle in the protective half-embrace of the powerful young man by her side, Sakura felt a rising feeling of pride in her chest. And yet, the pride was a sort of humbled one as well. She looked down at the carpet, her face flushed from the stares she was receiving from the crowd. Neji pressed the shorter girl closer to his side, his arm wrapped reassuringly around her mid-back.

The two made a strange, but noble picture- a tall, ominously-powerful young man with flowing chestnut hair, and in his arm a shorter, more humble young woman with strikingly exotic features, pressed to his side. His long capes and robes fluttered around her body, engulfing her bared shoulders and slim waist, revealing only her slim calves, her slender ankles, and her heeled feet.

As they left the room, talk began to circulate the room- talk of the new queen being the young woman with the striking pink hair and the deep viridian eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **Haha, I wrote this listening to "La Camisa Negra" by Juanes... o.O I barely understand any of it, but it's got a catchy tune XD

Weell...? Should I add an epilogue to this? If I do, I think what I plan to write is very obvious. XP

Buuutttttt, I still take what my readers think into consideration. So please, review and tell me whether this was a good story or not, and whether I should add an epilogue or not.

--Sanded Silk--


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